How brands upset Aussie consumers (and what they like best)

May 30, 2017 by SAP News

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — New research shows Australian consumers are tired of heavy-handed targeting tactics. Responsible use of data, efficient service and the occasional freebie are the best ways for brands to keep customers sweet.

The SAP Hybris Consumer Insight survey shows brands are under increasing pressure to answer customer queries quickly, with almost half of Australians (45 per cent) expecting a response within three hours. The vast majority (92 per cent) expect their question to be answered within 24 hours.

Failing to meet these expectations has severe consequences, with 72 per cent saying they won’t use a brand again if customer service is unresponsive. With international brands already renowned for speedy service, and market heavyweight Amazon arriving in Australia soon, SAP Hybris Australia and New Zealand Head of Business, Stuart O’Neill, says local brands must get on the front foot to stay competitive.

“Complacency is the biggest threat to Australian brands. They must respond quickly when customers reach out to them, and do so in a consistent manner whether it’s in store, over the phone, online or via social media,” he says. “A customer’s time is precious and our research shows they have a low tolerance for brands that waste it.

“This means all contact with a brand should be considered equal. Consumers see no distinction between their experiences in a dressing room, engaging with a chatbot or loading up an online cart. If any of these interactions provide a poor experience, consumers will seek a better one elsewhere.”

Valued customer experiences (and biggest turn-offs)
The research shows Australians view their personal data as a precious commodity, which must be protected and should only be used to improve their level of service.

Surprise discounts and freebies were a hit with 61 per cent of Australians when asked about valuable personalised experiences. Efficient customer service again ranked highly, with more than half valuing appropriate responses that show an understanding of their personal history. Relevant content (47 per cent) is also valued by consumers.

More than three-quarters of Australians (78 per cent) would not use a brand again if their personal data was used without their knowledge, while 68 per cent look elsewhere after receiving unnecessary spam. The top three brand behaviours that bother consumers were too many direct marketing and sales calls (60 per cent), too many marketing and sales emails (56 per cent) and pushing irrelevant content (49 per cent).

“Beyond simply capturing customer data, brands need to analyse, contextualise and act on insights in real time if they’re to truly impress today’s consumers,” O’Neill says. “Brands that fail to adapt are in danger of quickly becoming irrelevant.”

About SAP Hybris Solutions
SAP Hybris solutions provide omnichannel customer engagement and commerce software that allows organizations to build up a contextual understanding of their customers in real time, deliver a more impactful, relevant customer experience, and sell more goods, services and digital content across every touch point, channel and device. Through customer data management, context driven marketing tools and unified commerce processes, SAP Hybris solutions have helped some of the world’s leading organizations to attract, retain, and grow a profitable customer base. SAP Hybris software for customer engagement and commerce provide organizations with the foundation, framework and business tools to create a holistic customer view across channels, simplify customer engagement and solve complex business problems. For more information, visit www.hybris.com.

*SAP Hybris is a new brand name launched in January 2016 to represent the SAP solutions for customer engagement and commerce as well as the offerings, employees, and business of acquired company hybris AG, which continues to be our legal entity until integration with SAP is complete.

About SAP
As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device – SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 350,000 business and public sector customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

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About SAP Hybris Consumer Insights Survey
The SAP Hybris Consumer Insights Survey collates findings from a representative sample of 1000 Australian residents surveyed on preferences when engaging with brands. The research was conducted by YouGov on behalf of SAP Hybris, as part of a global customer research study.